Archive By Section - Columnists

It's not easy to turn Donald Trump into an object of sympathy, but the hotheads disrupting his rallies are pulling it off. They may see their invasions as a brave effort to stop a frightening, divisive political force. But others - not just Trump followers - see privileged college kids stomping on someone's right to free speech.

While hard work gets us ahead, there appear to be limits. It's often the times of rest and recovery that provide us with the energy we need to work hard. In today's ultra-connected worlds of iPhones, email and Twitter, it is often hard to get even a few moments to oneself.

Just last week, I was asked to read a Dr. Seuss book to a local elementary school class. I get asked to do those types of things often, but I jumped at the chance because I thoroughly enjoying interacting with the future decision makers of our town. I didn't realize that day, in particular, would be an eye-opening experience for me.

I had intended to provide you with an in-depth analysis of the SEC primary this week but that will have to wait. For one thing, Junior E. Lee, general manager of the Yarbrough Worldwide Media and Pest Control Company, located in Greater Garfield, Georgia, tells me that he is going to need time to pore over the results. Currently, he is tied up rummaging around in Aunt Flossy Felmer's drawers looking for fire ants. In addition to being one of this nation's most highly respected political analysts, Junior is also a certified pest control professional.

I had the privilege to speak to several hundred educators in Atlanta last week. I was there to talk about my experiences as a member of the Education Reform Commission but, as is my wont, I soon deviated off the purpose for which I had been invited to speak and into unchartered waters. Which raises a question: Why do I spend so much time preparing speeches if I am not going to use them? I must ask myself that sometime. I would be interested in the answer.

Federal investigators hold the iPhone of Syed Rizwan Farook, the terrorist who helped slaughter 14 innocents in San Bernardino, California. They want to look at its contents but can't because the device is encrypted and Apple has refused to unlock it.

The death of Antonin Scalia has set off yet another epic partisan struggle as Senate Republicans seek to deny President Obama his constitutional right to nominate the next Supreme Court justice. They want to wait out Obama's last year in office, hoping his successor will be one of their own.

The long-awaited, first-in-the-nation caucus (Iowa) and primary (New Hampshire) are over. There have been a few surprises - Donald Trump did not win Iowa, Bernie Sanders beat Hillary Clinton by more than 20 points in New Hampshire, and outperformed her with women voters by 11 points. Ted Cruz had a surprise win in Iowa, with Rubio performing strongly with a close third-place finish. John Kasich came in a strong second to Trump in New Hampshire, breathing life into his campaign.

Two years ago, Secretary of State Brian Kemp began his push to set up an "SEC Primary" (Southeastern Conference) for a simple reason: he wanted the world to pay more attention to Georgia and the South in an important presidential election year.